Star Wars - Return of the Jedi: Possessed

Curiously, just the day before I truly watched this edit I was talking about how it's nearly impossible for a fan edit to actually replace the original version of a movie to me, and the reason this is curious is because this ended up being one of those occasions. You see, in order for a fan edit to really become my go-to version of a movie, obviously aside from the editing having to be impeccable, one of two things have to happen:

1. It's a movie I don't care about too much.
2. It's mostly trimming the fat and necessarily not wanting to alter the story that is being told at all.

No Star Wars movie would ever fall under that first category, so the second one it is. Most Star Wars edits have impeccable editing but don’t tell the same story, simply by the nature of fan editing. But Possessed's masterpiece definitely does both. Before this edit I held darthrush's excellent 'Remastered' edit to the highest regard when it came to Return of the Jedi, but it has been surpassed in just about every way by this - be it in picture quality (Possessed is presented in 1080p, Remastered only in 720p), audio quality (Remastered's mix had a few small issues, while Possessed has a fantastic Dolby Surround mix throughout) or just the trims themselves. For example, Possessed eliminated merely 5 or so minutes from the opening sequence in Jabba's palace and it feels like I dropped the weight of a truck while watching that part. The movie no longer drags and as a result it more naturally flows from the previously disconnected acts 1 and 2 a lot better.

Being more specific, Possessed made incredibly clever cuts be it to poorly timed humor from the droids throughout, the insufferable little annoying creature at Jabba's Palace, or just rearranging shots really creatively like in the Alliance briefing or the Boushh negotiation. The audio utilizes the excellent 1997 mix as the base, but Possessed blends elements from the 1983 six track and stereo mixes very well too, like in the Dagobah scene between Luke and Ben, where the score improves the weight of the scene.

And since the edit changes nothing narratively from the original movie there's virtually *nothing* here that will be missed in any way, shape or form. Nothing for you to scratch your head with, or wonder where it went. If you haven't seen the movie in a while or don't have all the details printed in your brain I'll confidently say you won't tell there's anything missing, you'll just feel a much bigger punch from just about anything the movie throws at you, and be carried from one part of the story to another much more lightly and easily. An excellent fan edit, and one that I will be watching in place of the original whenever not looking for the original unaltered experience for the foreseeable future.

This was a great, subtle edit of Return of the Jedi. I was thinking of revisiting my old ROTJ edit, but there's no need now, as this is far better.

Most of the changes aren't very noticeable and may take you by surprise. Overall, you can just feel that the pacing is better, that the tory is working more. It's a very clever edit and I feel it's an improvement over the original.

My only nitpick is that a few shots with some SE CGI still remain, one noticeably in Jabba's Palace. I'd personally try to remove every trace of modern CGI except possibly the planet montage at the end. For some reason, that feels like it fits.

Terrific.

The editing is excellent, the cutlist is inventive and the pacing is just perfect.

A few scenes lack definition but the colors are the best I've seen in ROTJ, especially on Endor.

Great job on the disc image as well.

Best Return of the Jedi fanedit out there.
Thank you once again Possessed for the great work!

Possessed's edits are seamless and effective. Technical quality is top notch, both audio and visual. Even if one might personally have different things they'd keep or change to ROTJ, it's hard to argue that this isn't a better version of the film. If you're looking for a quality Special Edition of the film without all the trash in the official version, look no further.

The editing is technically flawless. Anyone watching the film for the first time would not notice any irregularities. As a repeat watcher, I can't call it perfect, but I recognize that there are some disagreements between fans about what moments are 'iconic' and deserve to be in the film.

Anyway, if you want a better version of Return of the Jedi, this cut will fit the bill, and in excellent video quality, too. See it and judge for yourself. This might be your go-to version of the film.